Bring Me To Life
by White Firebird
Summary: A celebration of legacy gone wrong. A hero lost. An entire community mourns and vows to keep fighting. A war rages on. A new hero emerges from the shadows. A promise kept. A love reborn. An end to the madness. The ultimate battle between good and evil.
1. Prelude

**Hey everyone...been so long since I've written anything PR related, so forgive me if I come across as rusty here. Got this idea while watching old season 2 and 3 episodes on Youtube, and once I got a general idea, I wrote it down and it evolved into this story. Hope you all like it. I know I did in writing it. P.S. - The story starts off in 2008, and then resumes later on in 2010. Just thought you'd want to know that little tidbit.**

**I don't own the Power Rangers.**

_"…in other news, residents of Angel Grove are preparing for the weekend long extravaganza known as the Legacy Of Power, an entire weekend devoted to the celebration of the Power Rangers…the three day event ends on Sunday, when, according to various news outlets, the legendary and iconic Mighty Morphin Power Rangers will make their first appearance together in almost thirteen years…"_

Waking up to the sound of the morning news, a weary eyed Rocky DeSantos rose from his slumber, sun shining through the window of his bedroom as he sat up and let out a loud and extended yawn. His clock read ten in the morning, but it felt like it was six. He hadn't been getting much sleep lately, largely in part to having another person in his house screwing up his routine.

"So, I take it you heard the news, huh man?"

Rocky turned his head to see his best friend, Adam Park, standing in the doorway. Rubbing some of the sleep out of his eyes, he got out of bed and waved off Adam, padding down the hall towards the bathroom, where he promptly splashed some cold water on his face to fully wake himself up. Adam followed him every step of the way, stopping short of the room and standing in the doorway again, arms crossed as he spoke.

"I guess you did then."

Rocky wiped the water off his face, discarding the towel onto the floor, giving Adam a deadpan look as he sighed. Suddenly, living on his own seemed like such a better idea with every second that passed…

"Dude, what have I told you about waking me up before eleven? You know I can't function properly if I'm woken up at a time like this."

"I figured you needed to hear that news, man. Apparently, from what my contacts told me, some joker off-handedly said that the Power Rangers would be appearing at this event, fully morphed, with the weapons, the whole kitten caboodle, and it's turned into this."

"I heard it, alright. But what does this have to do with you and me? Not to sound rude Adam, but there's been like what, fourteen other teams of Rangers since us, including Zeo and Turbo? One of the other teams will show up and appear, probably Andros and the rest of the Space Rangers. They were the last team to set foot in Angel Grove, anyways."

Adam shook his head in denial, putting his fist on his forehead as he thought of the right way to say what he was about to tell his best friend next. Making way so Rocky could exit the bathroom, the two men walked down the stairs to the living room, and eventually, the kitchen. The news was on the television in there as well, the reporter continuing to talk about the Legacy Of Power Convention. Finally, the former Black Power, Green Zeo and Turbo Ranger placed his hand on Rocky's shoulder and spun him around.

"Dude, they're talking about _us._"

"Us?"

"Do you know of any other Ranger teams that were ninjas at some point?"

The former Red Power and Blue Zeo Ranger pondered his response for a moment, thinking and throwing around answers in his head before he inquisitively came up with a good response.

"Wasn't there a bunch of kids that were called Ninja Storm or something like that? That could be who the news was talking about."

Adam stared a blank stare at Rocky, removing his hand from his shoulder and rolling his eyes. He then slapped his palm across his forehead and muttered something under his breath before he turned his attention back to Rocky.

"They're talking about _us_, Rocky. _Us_. _We_ were ninjas a long time ago, remember? They're talking about a 'great power' that followed the team that's supposed to be showing up. _We_ had the Great Power. Does anything that I'm saying right now make any sense to you at all?"

Rocky looked at his best friend and then randomly began to laugh. Adam gave him an incredulous look, while Rocky patted him on the back and began to go about his usual morning routine. Adam stood there, in the middle of the kitchen, rooted to the same spot, while Rocky continued to laugh.

"You're laughing. Why?"

"Because man, you're a riot. Telling me that we're supposed to appear together with everyone else at this convention on Sunday night, that's hilarious man. Thanks for that, you just totally made my day."

Adam put his palm to his forehead, smacking himself again, muttering that he needed a new best friend, particularly someone with more than half a brain. He grabbed Rocky's head and turned him so that he was facing the television. There, he saw the reporter continue to talk about the convention and comment on the historical impact the original Power Rangers had on Angel Grove, and the world as a whole. His eyes grew a little wide as he watched old clips of himself and everyone else fighting the evils of Zedd and Rita. It was a blast from the past, so to speak.

"So, now do you believe me?"

Rocky nodded his head slightly, taking a few seconds to find his voice.

"Your contacts, they said that all six of us were going to be there? As in, you, me, Aisha, Billy…Tommy and Kimberly?"

Rocky gulped after mentioning those two together in the same sentence. From what he (and everyone else in the Ranger circle, for that matter) knew, those two hadn't seen each other in person since the incident on the lost island of Muranthias …eleven years ago. Numerous attempts had been made to have gatherings where they'd see each other, but for some reason or another, one of the two would always pull out at the last second. They'd both have their reasons for not appearing, but everyone wisely and correctly saw their half baked excuses for what they really were; Tommy and Kimberly didn't want to see each other because of 'the letter' and what happened on Muranthias. Truth be told, those that experienced Muranthias left the lost island scarred for life, and the letter was still a extremely touchy subject after all these years, so they chose not to speak to each other or see each other because of it.

"So you mean to tell me that they're actually expecting all six of us to show up there on Sunday night?"

Adam nodded his head. "Yeah, that's what the buzz is. Just look at the news, man. The citizens here are getting all pumped up because they think we're gonna be there."

"I mean, it's been what, fifteen years since we gained our Ninjetti powers and defeated Ooze? We were heroes to everyone here and around the world, man. Hell, we still are. All the Ranger teams after us still look up to the six of us. We were the gold standard, Rocko. I can't tell you how many questions I got about the old team when I helped the Overdrive Rangers out last year with Kira and all them. I mean, besides Xander practically worshipping me because I wore green, almost every single question they asked me about was the Ninjetti Six."

"Ninjetti Six?"

Sitting down at the table and lowering the volume on the television so that they could speak without interruption, Adam took a sip of coffee from his mug and thought back to the time when he last donned the costume. "Yeah, that's what we're called in the Ranger Community now. Like, you know how Jason, Kim, Trini, Billy, Zack and Tommy are the Original Six? We're the Ninjetti Six because of the Great Power."

"And now we're expected to appear together at this convention at the end of the week."

They both shook their heads in disbelief, although they let out a slight chuckle at this revelation. For Adam, it had been over a year since he had donned the costume, but for someone like Rocky, it had been a little over a decade since his Ranger days ended prematurely, thanks to the back injury that forced him to pass on the Turbo powers to Justin. But as for everyone else, they wondered how they'd react to this news and how their bodies would possibly take to morphing one more time.

Turning the TV off, Adam reached across the table to pick up his phone, looking up his contacts while Rocky flipped through the Angel Grove Times, the local newspaper. On the front page was a giant picture of the six of them, all posing in their suits. Truth be told, Rocky missed being a Power Ranger, but was grateful that Justin did as well as he did when he wielded the power. He was also a little envious of Adam getting picked by the Sentinel Knight to come back and head the Retro Rangers when the Overdrive Rangers needed help. He was sure someone like Jason or Tommy would have gotten the nod, but with Jason being unreachable at the time and Tommy away on business for his school, Adam got the nod. Sure, he was supportive of his best friend, but he wished he could have felt the rush of morphing one more time, even if it was only for a day or two.

Looks like he was going to be getting his chance.

"Dialing up everyone to let them know the great news?"

Adam merely nodded his head, pressing the phone to his ear while it rang. After a few seconds, the line picked up and he got a voice greeting him on the other side.

"Hey 'Sha…yeah, I know it's early in Texas, at least for you…yes, I know, it's been too long, but this is for a good reason…no, Aisha, Rocky didn't put me up to this…I know you miss him…he misses you too…can I please get to the point of what this phone call is all about?"

Rocky glanced over in his best friend's direction and stifled a chuckle; he missed seeing Aisha as much as he missed being a Ranger. But that, he thought, would be for another day. This convention was far more important than something such as a lost love…

"Alright, so I don't know if you've watched the news, or if they even mentioned anything out there in Texas…but um…what's the best way to put this into words…"

"There's a weekend long Power Rangers convention out here in Angel Grove and we're expected to appear in costume on Sunday night."

After Rocky was done talking, Adam heard silence from the other end of the phone; either she hadn't heard him and was doing something else, or she heard Rocky loud and clear and was taking a moment to let it all soak in. After a few moments, some rustling around was heard on the other end, and Aisha finally returned to the conversation, speaking in hushed tones that only Adam could hear.

"Yeah, it's true…my contacts confirmed it…far as I know, we're the only three who know about it, unless Tommy caught wind of it in Reefside, though I doubt it…yeah, Billy and Kimberly don't know, seeing as one is in Florida and the other's probably still on another planet…you think we should all get together…'Sha, do you even remember all the times we've tried getting Tommy and Kimberly in the same room before? What makes you think this convention will work?"

Rocky took this moment to interject. "The fact that they're probably the two most legendary Rangers ever…and the fact that it's being held here…and maybe because everyone will be here to see this…oh, and they probably don't want to let their friends down, no matter what they feel towards each other…"

Adam pressed his hand over the receiver and gave Rocky a puzzling look, while Rocky looked back at Adam and merely shrugged his shoulders. That was something Adam wasn't expecting Rocky to say.

"Since when did you become an intellectual all of a sudden?"

"Dude, they're family. Tommy's like an older brother to me, and Kim will always be like a little sister. I've talked to them and been around them enough to know how they tick. I'm sure we're all like that around each other. And I'm almost certain that those two wouldn't want to let the four of us down, even if it meant they had to be within five feet of each other. Who knows…"

"Dude, lets not get ahead of ourselves here. Just getting them in the same room is a major accomplishment in of itself. Baby steps dude, baby steps."

As Adam resumed his conversation with Aisha, Rocky stood up and walked out into the living room, and back up the stairs to his room. Upon entering, he sat down on the edge of his bed and watched as the local reporters continued to gush about how the Power Rangers were going to be appearing in Angel Grove, in person, for the first time in thirteen years. He saw various photos of himself and the rest of the gang flash by on the screen, dressed up in their suits, whether it be the spandex or their ninja costumes. Many images of the Ninja Megazord and the Shogun Megazord, not to mention the Falconzord, were also shown on the screen as the reporters talked. He smiled as they cut to commercial, a reminiscent smile on his lips.

Rocky then grabbed his phone from his dresser and speed dialed a familiar number. Waiting for the other line to click, he grinned as it did so. "Hey, winged lord of the skies. It's the mighty ape. We need to talk…"


	2. Chapter 1: Haunted

**I don't own the Power Rangers.**

June 30th, 2008 was going to be one of the most fulfilling, if not exhilarating (not to mention emotional) days of Tommy Oliver's life.

Getting to that day, however, was going to be a challenge.

It was now June 25th, the Tuesday before the convention's ending ceremony. After speaking with Rocky the day before, he was now faced with the task of making the trek from Reefside back "home" to Angel Grove, which, in of itself, would be a massive culture shock to him, after being away for so many years. But finally returning after all the time gone paled in comparison to what really faced him in the small town of Angel Grove…

"I can't believe they convinced her to fly out here. Un-fucking-believable."

He found himself muttering these words to himself repeatedly as he rode down the highway, en route to Rocky's house in downtown Angel Grove. _'Welcome Home' _by Coheed and Cambria blasted out of the sound system as his Jeep roared down the road, taking the exit that led him to Angel Grove. But then he suddenly veered off road and disappeared down a dusty trail that led to the outskirts of town, close to the mountains. After traveling down the path for a few minutes, he pulled over and parked, stepping out and staring up at the twin peaks of a mountain. To the ordinary person, this was just the outskirts of town, nothing more, nothing less, and home to a bunch of rocks, mountains, sand and dirt.

But to Tommy Oliver, it was a reminder of a past that had been laid to rest.

The spot he found himself staring at was the place where the old Command Center, and later the Power Chamber, had been located. He stared at the empty spot atop the mountain, as if he was expecting the building to rematerialize before his very eyes. So many memories had been shared there amongst the teams that had seeked the place as refuge from their every day lives. But for Tommy, the ruins took on a different meaning. It was home to many of his greatest moments as a Ranger, such as getting reintroduced to the team as the White Ranger, but also home to some of his darkest memories, like when he infiltrated it when he was the evil Green Ranger and tore the place apart, very nearly killing Zordon and Alpha in the process. He continued to stare at the top of the mountain for a few more moments, before he saluted it and got back into his Jeep, driving off the path and back onto the main road, away from a large part of his past.

Moments later, his phone began to ring. Seeing that it was Adam calling, he answered and placed it on speakerphone as he continued to drive towards Rocky's place.

"Hey Frogger, what's up? I'm twenty minutes or so out from Rocky's house…he didn't burn the place down did he?"

"Nah, he's out grabbing some beer right now. Just wanted to see where you were at, everyone's here already. We're just waiting on you."

"Everyone? So you, Rocky, Billy, Aisha and...Kimberly are all there?"

Tommy found it so weird (and a little aggravating) that Kimberly's name rolled off his tongue so quickly and easily, when for years, it'd pain him to even think of her, let alone say her name out loud. He was still preparing himself for their first face to face encounter since Muranthias, but knowing that she was already there made his usual steely nerves become a little uneasy.

"Nah, Kimmy's still not here, but everyone else is."

"What are you talking about man?"

Silence was heard for a few moments before a familiar voice was heard speaking into the phone, one that instantly made Tommy grin and shake his head as he slowed down to take another exit.

"What's with you, bro? You didn't think I'd miss this occasion, did you?"

"Well, I am the forgetful one with the Swiss cheese memory…"

"That's true, some things never change. You better get your ass here right now though, bro. There's a room full of people here who want to see you."

"What, did those two invite the entire Ranger community? Who the hell else is there?"

"Let's see…we've got Rocky, Adam, Billy, myself, Aisha, Katherine, Tanya, Zack, Trini, and of course, when she gets here, Kim, and then there's you, who we're still waiting on. God, I knew you were forgetful, but I didn't realize how friggin slow you were!"

"I've got nothing to say right now man…I'll be there in ten minutes; I'll talk to you then."

Tommy hung up the phone as he made a turn down a street that was littered with parked cars everywhere. Nobody, not even Jason, his best friend, could understand how difficult it was for him to return to Angel Grove after being away for so long. He knew it'd be fulfilling and exhilarating, but not without any pent up emotion making itself present. When Rocky called him in the morning yesterday, he was incredibly skeptical about the whole convention. He spent all day thinking about the pros and cons of going back to Angel Grove for this event, and for about a solid hour or two, he was set on not going. He figured there was no point in rehashing the past and immersing himself in the lifestyle he had given up for good four years prior.

But he came around eventually, realizing that if he was ever to finally close that chapter of his life and completely move on, he'd have to go back to where it all began and appear in costume alongside his friends. It was then that he called Rocky back and decided that he'd become the White Ranger for the very last time.

"Well, here we are…"

Pulling into Rocky's driveway, he recognized everyone's car immediately; they all corresponded with whatever color they wore, and in some cases, had more than one. He smiled to himself as he looked at all the multi-colored vehicles, grabbing his bag and walking towards the front door, only to see Jason walk outside, arms crossed and grinning.

"Well, look who finally decided to show up. Took you long enough, bro."

"Thanks, it's so nice to see you too, Jase."

The two best friends and former leaders shared a quick embrace, before giving each other a high five and a fist bump. "No seriously man, it's good to see you. It's been too long since we last hung out. There's a lot to catch up on."

"Yeah bro, I know. How's everything going for you in Sacramento? The school still running fine?"

"Better than ever, Tommy. C'mon man, we'll have more than enough time to catch up on shit, everyone inside can't wait to see you."

The two men swung the door open and entered the spacious house, where various bags and coats were sprawled across the floor and couches. Moving through the living room and into the kitchen, the two former Red Rangers walked out into the backyard and, soon enough, Jason was making a grand entrance for Tommy.

"Hey everyone, look who's gracing us with his presence!"

Eight heads turned around and instantly, those eight people stopped what they were doing and shouted "TOMMY!" out loud simultaneously. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't just a little surprised at their reaction. Instantly, everyone was surrounding him, the guys giving him high fives while the girls were hugging him and giving him pecks on the cheek. He was used to the behavior, yes, but not in this capacity. Finally, after it all stopped, Katherine stepped through the crowd and stood next to her former boyfriend and teammate, all smiles.

"Welcome home, Tommy. It's so good to see you again."

He gave the tall blonde another hug before looking out at all his friends with a puzzled look. "It's great to see all you guys too, but what's with the over-friendly welcome? It's only me, and it's not like I just got out of the hospital or something like that."

"Well", Katherine began, stepping back to the crowd, her hand interlocking with Jason's, "The last time any of us really saw you was three years ago, when we all got together for Zack's birthday. Other than that, you've missed every other gathering for whatever reason."

"School. I am a teacher and a doctor now, remember."

Jason, Adam, Zack and Rocky rolled their eyes at the same time, while Billy arched his brows, a little surprised at the news. "I still can't believe you're a teacher now", Zack remarked, slapping his old friend on the back. "Not only a teacher, but a doctor. I mean, not gonna lie here man, but I always thought you'd of ended up becoming a major player in NASCAR or something that had to do with cars. But paleontology? Damn man. Talk about boring."

Everyone shared a laugh while Tommy subtly gave Zack the finger, grinning as he did so. "But seriously man, it's great to finally see you again. You psyched about this weekend?"

Tommy took a moment to think about the question posed to him. Was he psyched for the actual event? Of course. The real question though, was the one that he knew that none of them, except maybe Kat or Jason, would ask him. He had a feeling they _wanted_ to ask him that, but they figured they either knew better than to reopen the old wound, or they had a feeling that it was something he'd take care of himself.

He knew he was right.

"This weekend? Heck yeah, I'm psyched for it. I get to trade in black for white for one more day and hang out with you losers for an entire weekend. Its gonna be awesome."

"Not to mention, there's going to be a ton of people there that are going to be salivating to see us one last time. And who knows, maybe a few more teams will show up. Andros has already let me know that he and the rest of the Space Rangers will be appearing. I can't wait to see everyone", Jason said aloud.

Everyone else came forward to greet the former White Ranger, with Tommy wading through the throng of people before finally getting to Billy, who he hadn't seen since their Zeo days together. Thankfully, he looked like himself again. The last images he had in his head of Billy were that of the original Blue Ranger rapidly aging due to the regenerator he used to restore his proper age having a side effect. It was nice to see his old comrade for the first time in over a decade.

"I never thought I'd see you here on Earth anymore, man. And it's also nice to see that you've got your face back."

Billy began to stifle a chuckle, as the two men shared an embrace and a firm handshake. Shaking his head and shrugging his shoulders, he began to speak of his adventures on Aquatar.

"Trust me; it's good to have it back. And it's also quite pleasant to be back here in Angel Grove after spending the better part of the past ten years on an alien planet surrounded by water."

"How is it there? How are Delphine and Aurico and the rest of the Alien Rangers doing? It's been a while since I spoke to any of them."

"They're all doing great, still fighting evil even now. They're forever sworn to be the protectors of Aquitar, so everyone feels safe with those five around. Speaking of fighting evil, any new suit colors for you lately? Last I heard you were wearing black and mentoring students of yours."

"Hah…yeah, I did. I've still got the makeshift Command Center down in my basement, if you ever decide you want to poke around and see what I've got. A lot of the stuff I used down there is based off of your work. I think you'd be proud of how well I did as far as all the technology goes."

"Jason was telling me that you were compared to Zordon when you mentored your Dino Rangers."

Tommy stopped for a moment to take that in as the conversation turned to this. Sure, he had heard all the comparisons before, during and after he wore black, but did he pay them any attention? Rarely. He wasn't one to let that kind of stuff get to his head; hence, whenever someone would say that he was considered the greatest Power Ranger ever, he would laugh at them and tell them that they were crazy for thinking it. This was no different than before.

"Yeah, I've been told. I don't believe it, man. I'm just someone who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time one day during my adolescence and was picked to bear a power I still don't know if I ever wanted in the first place. I'm not Zordon; I'm not anyone like that. I'm just me."

"Do you want to talk about this away from everyone else, man? It sounds like you've got something to say."

"Nah, I'll be fine. Maybe some other time, man. I just want to enjoy this day and catch up with everyone. We'll talk soon, though."

The two friends shook hands, nodded their heads, and then departed, their talk being mutually postponed until Tommy felt right about what he had just said. In truth, he began to think to himself, he didn't know why he had just mentioned aloud that he didn't know if he ever wanted to be a Power Ranger when he first became the Green Ranger.

He usually kept that to himself, and barely talked about it now as it was. Maybe it was the fact that he was surrounded by all of his old friends and teammates. Maybe it was the fact that he was going to be suiting up once more for this convention.

Or maybe he really never did want to be a Power Ranger.

He soon found himself wandering through the crowd of people, wanting to be alone for a few moments before he composed himself and went back to socializing. Finding himself on the front porch of Rocky's house, he leaned over the rail and stared down the empty street. He saw a taxi turn and stop right in front of the house, but he didn't seem to notice it as he had his back turned the entire time. Nor did he see the person exiting the taxi, lugging what seemed to be a mobile closet fit for a queen behind her. His mind was too focused on the future, and what it was going to be like morphing into the White Ranger one last time.

Footsteps cluttered behind him, but again, he was in his own world of thought. So he was a little surprised to feel a hand on his shoulder, followed by soft spoken words coming from a voice that he hadn't heard in person in eleven years. There were sudden goose bumps on his arms and a shiver went up his spine as she spoke.

"Hey, you."

Kimberly Ann Hart had just crashed the party.


	3. Chapter 2: Forgive Me

**Saban owns the Power Rangers...that feels so good to say.**

"Hey, you."

She felt her hand on his shoulder. She saw herself place it there. Why did she feel a tiny spark when she did this? She wasn't supposed to. It had been eleven years since she, Kimberly Ann Hart, had last seen Tommy Oliver in person, that last time having been on the lost island of Muranthias. She, along with Jason, had been sacrificed and turned into a brief, yet lethal force of evil by Divatox as a wedding gift for her fiancé, Maligore. If it weren't for the Liarians purifying her and expunging the evil out of her, she'd of kept going till she killed the then-Turbo Rangers. She hated having to remember the events of Muranthias, but what stuck with her ever since were those three moments…

"_No...look at me, Kim. Look at me! It's me…it's me, Tommy."_

"_Yes, we're your friends!"_

"_Friends? Hahaha…I don't have any friends."_

That was just the beginning. Seeing Tommy take his helmet off mid-battle was something that he had never done before, and probably never did again, she reasoned. But he did it to show that he still cared about her in some form, even if she had callously ripped his heart out via 'The Letter'. She could tell that even with a mind clouded by evil. But then, when she was pure again, she saw Jason, her big brother, hanging precariously above the lava…with Tommy holding onto him for dear life.

"_Tommy! Hang on!"_

She fought through god knows how many Piranhatrons to get to the two men who had the biggest influence on her in her life, scratching and clawing her way past a horde of them before she finally reached the lava pit. She had never remembered a fight being so tough, with her heart never being so full before.

"_Kim?"_

"_I'm with you."_

With those three words, she felt that connection with Tommy again, if only for a few moments, before a blast from the volcano tossed her and Tommy onto their backs, with Jason getting propelled onto solid ground again. Everything from there was a blur; she vaguely remembered the Megazord battle, the karate match, all of which happened after they departed the island. What she did remember was trying to reconcile with Tommy. But when she tried to, she saw Katherine all over him, thus confirming the thought that was haunting her; Tommy was officially over her.

So she went back to Florida to live her simple little life. Sure, she kept in constant touch with all her old friends and Ranger teammates, but until now, she hadn't laid a single eye on Tommy Oliver since Muranthias.

And now here she was, eleven years later, trying to talk to him like nothing had ever happened.

"Long time, no see."

Her hand remained on his shoulder, but he didn't flinch. His back was still turned to her, and he appeared to want to keep it that way, so she removed her hand from her position upon his shoulder, recoiling back a few inches to give him some room. The silence began to thicken in the air as she stared at his back, watching it rise slightly with each breath he took. She bit her lip and then looked down at her enormous bag, grabbing the handle and moving toward the door. It was apparent that he didn't want to talk, opting to rather be alone than socialize with her. She deserved the cold shoulder.

"I'll just go inside then…talk to you later."

Halfway through opening the door and entering Rocky's house, Kimberly noticed Tommy shift around to face the door, calling out to her. "Why are you here?"

Leaving the bag inside, she stepped timidly back out onto the porch, looking Tommy in the eye; he had changed drastically since their last face to face. Gone was the long, flowing and pony tailed brown hair, now replaced by short, black spikes. Absent was the boyish innocence, the shyness that he had displayed through his adolescence; in it's place was a calculated, almost cold demeanor, one that had been through and seen too many wars in one lifetime. He had grown a five o'clock shadow and a goatee. And perhaps the biggest change was that of his physique; while he was a teenager, he was in amazing shape, but now, he looked more ripped and toned. This wasn't the Tommy Oliver she knew.

In front of her stood a completely different man, and she couldn't help but wonder in the back of her mind, 'Did I do this to him? Did I indirectly cause him to leave behind everything from his past and transform into this…new person?' He looked nothing like the Tommy of old; in fact, if it weren't for the eyes, voice and some semblance of the past in his movements, Kimberly wouldn't have recognized him at all.

"I asked you a question."

"I know you did."

"Then answer me. Why are you here?"

Kimberly bit down on her lip and looked at her feet. Why was she here? She had no desire to relive her adolescence via morphing one last time. Content with her place in history and Ranger lore, she felt she had earned the right to leave it all behind and rest on her laurels, so to speak. She had done incredibly well for herself ever since she gave Katherine her Ninja Coin, winning numerous medals at the Pan Globals and in the Olympics. She had opened her own gymnastics school and it was turning a profit every year. So why did she decide to come here? Many answers to Tommy's question ran through her head. _'Because I wanted to see you again.' 'To say I'm sorry and ask for your forgiveness.' 'I wanted to give you a hug and not let go this time.' 'I want to hear you call me beautiful again.' _But none of those answers surfaced when she spoke.

"I'm here for the same reason you're here."

"And what reason is that?"

"I didn't want to let my friends down."

Tommy looked mildly shocked at her response; clearly, he had been expecting her to say something else. He then quickly grew a little peeved that she had used one of his reasons for coming here against him; for the briefest of moments, Kimberly could have sworn she saw Tommy's eyes flash green in anger. All she could do was simply shrug her shoulders, turning away to go back inside and see her friends. "You wanted an answer. You got one."

Before he could offer a rebuttal, Kimberly slipped back inside and, instead of making her way through the house and towards the backyard where everyone else was, she walked up the steps and found the bathroom, locking herself in there. Turning to face the mirror, she looked at the reflection that was staring back at her, and realized that while Tommy had changed into someone barely recognizable, she had, for the most part, remained the same. She was still the shortest one of them all, despite being one of the oldest in the group. She had grown her brown hair back out, after years of having it cut short. And she was still as vibrant, outgoing and bubbly as ever. But there were changes in her too…most notably her inability to love. It wasn't like there was a shortage of men down in Florida that were pining for her attention; at least once a day, she got hit on by some random dude.

And sure enough, she had dated a few of those random dudes, the last one being a guy named Richard who owned a gym near her apartment. They had started out fine enough, but around the two month mark, she realized that he was more interested in talking about himself than focusing on their relationship; she quickly dumped him and hadn't spoken to him since, despite his constant texts and calls. But she couldn't bring herself to get involved with anyone else the way she did when she was a teenager…she had it all when she was living in Angel Grove.

"Oh Kim…why did you have to screw everything up? You were going back to Angel Grove anyways. All you had to do was wait two more measly months and you'd of been back among friends…"

A knock was heard at the door; scrambling, Kimberly composed herself and asked to see who it was. "Hello? There's someone in here…do you mind?"

"Kimberly?"

She recognized the voice immediately. Instead of telling the person to shoo, she swung the door open and gave the person on the other side a huge hug. Needless to say, Trini wasn't expecting it when she saw her best friend emerge and practically tackle her.

"Oh my gosh, Trini! It's so good to see you again!"

"Hey Kim…it's good to see you too…you seem to be very happy right now."

Releasing the hold she had on one of her best friends, Kim nodded her head vigorously, shuffling out of the bathroom to walk down the hall and down the steps with Trini, with whom she had a load of catching up to do.

"What were you doing up there?"

"Oh, you know, just touching my up my makeup some. Don't wanna look all ratty when everyone sees me."

"That's good, Kim. Now what were you really doing in there?"

The first Pink Ranger bit her lip as the best friends stopped in the living room; she quickly glanced out the window and saw that Tommy was no longer on the porch. Before she began to wonder where he had run off to, she faced her best friend and shrugged her shoulders. She cursed Trini for being able to read her like a book.

"Just thinking about stuff. Being back here in Angel Grove gets one's brain working overtime. Nothing serious, Tri, I'm fine."

Raising an eyebrow and giving Kimberly a wistful look before shaking her head slightly. "If there's anything that's bothering you about being back here, Kim, you know you can talk to me, or any of the girls for that matter. We all know how hard this is for you, and we want to make it as easy a transition back as possible."

"I know. I just…I'll be fine. There's nothing wrong. I just kinda want to get this over with, you know? It's been well over a decade since I morphed or did anything like that. I don't know how my body will react…"

Trini stepped forward and wrapped her best friend up in a tight hug. They both remained like this for a few moments, the only sounds being that of the music and chatter from outside, before the let go and smiled at each other.

"Thanks Tri…I needed that."

"I know you did, and your welcome, Kim. Now c'mon, let's go out back, everyone's dying to finally see you again."

Kim managed a smile and batted her eyelashes in a flirtatious manner. The girls shared a laugh together as they made their way into the kitchen and out onto the back porch, where everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to face the two girls. Everyone had a different facial reaction to seeing Kimberly in person. They ranged from shock to surprise, but chief among them was relief. Jason stepped forward from the pack and grabbed his 'little sister' in a huge hug, lifting her off her feet.

"I didn't think you'd show, Hart."

"I'm glad you have such awesome faith in me, Scott."

They shared a quick laugh, Jason setting her back down and everyone else stepping forward to give the first Pink Ranger a massive group hug. This time, there was no loud name shouting or any jokes. With Tommy, they could get away with that, but with Kimberly, despite being one of the oldest in the entire group, she was always looked upon as the little sister. If anything, it was as if the family tree had finally been completed with Kim's arrival.

There was only one person missing to make it whole though…

"It's so nice to see you here, darling", Katherine spoke softly, while she, along with everyone else, continued to embrace Kimberly. A few tears were shed amongst the group, giving it that wholesome family feel. She didn't want to let go of this beautiful moment at all, but they soon had to. One by one, though, everyone stepped forward and expressed their glee at her showing up.

"You guys really didn't need to do that for little old me", she said with a tear in her eye. "Really, just a simple, 'Hey Kim! Glad you made it!', would have been enough. I really appreciate the kindness, everyone. I've missed you all so much."

"Well, it has been what, four years, girl? For a bit, I thought none of us would ever see you again!", Aisha said, laughing while she did so.

"Yeah, well, you know…you can never, ever get rid of me. I'm the little sister, so I'll always be here, bugging and annoying you all for life!", Kimberly said, with everyone breaking out into laughter.

After everyone had said their hello's, Kimberly found herself by the end of the porch, which had a great view of the mountains and the desert terrain. She was busy admiring the vast amount of stars that were dotted amongst the sky, when Jason walked up next to her and began to stare as well.

"You know, seeing someone like Billy or Tanya looking at the stars like this is normal. You don't strike me as the kind to admire them, sis."

"I'm just…thinking, Jase."

"Thinking about what, if you don't mind me asking. Which I'm sure you don't, but I figured I'd ask anyways."

She managed to muster a small giggle before she answered back. "About this weekend. I know Sunday's still five days away, but still…I'm not sure where I stand on the whole thing."

Jason leaned closer and put an arm around her shoulder, pulling her into him and giving her a hug. "I understand where you're coming from. I felt the same way during the Forever Red mission. In the end, I just swallowed my fear and went out there and did my thing. Probably the best mission I've ever been apart of."

"Yeah, but when you morphed again, it was actually for a mission, and your body didn't react wrongly because you were the Gold Ranger beforehand. I haven't touched a morpher since I left for Florida."

"Don't worry about it too much, Kim, I'm sure you'll be fine. It's just a one time thing, and it's because you're getting celebrated for kicking Ooze's ass into Halley's Comet. Hell, if it were me, I'd be thrilled to morph one last time, even it was only for an hour or so. You'll do great, kiddo."

Kimberly looked up into her big brother's eyes and smiled. She leaned up and gave him a peck on the cheek. "Thanks, Jase. You always know how to calm me down."

"That's what big brother's are for."

After Jason returned the favor and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead and left to chat up Rocky, Kimberly found herself lying down, still looking up at the skies, still thinking about the days that were coming. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Tommy re-appear. She sat up, seemingly wanting to talk to him, but his cold, penetrating gaze killed that idea. He took in a deep breath and exhaled, before raising an eyebrow in her direction, disappearing into the crowd shortly after. Kimberly watched him leave, before sighing, her hair falling over her face as she muttered two words that nobody but herself heard.

"I'm sorry."


	4. Chapter 3: Can't Stop Loving You

**Hey everyone! I'm not gonna get into why I've been absent with updating lately (it's explained in the two stories I posted/updated yesterday). But other than that, hope you all enjoy the new chapter!**

**Saban owns the Power Rangers. YAY!**

"It's like one giant rainbow down there."

As Sunday night grew closer, more and more former Ranger teams began to show up and settle down in Angel Grove for the festivities. Today, the Wild Force and Ninja Storm Rangers arrived, and the day before, the Dino Rangers had shown up as well. Almost every team (including Time Force and Lost Galaxy) had arrived, with the only exceptions being the Alien Rangers and the brand new Jungle Fury team, of which nobody but Tommy knew much about (Tommy always seemed to be in the know about every new team.)

Jason Lee Scott watched from his room as everyone partied and had a good time down below in his backyard. It was Saturday night, and they had all just come back from the festival/convention (whatever one wanted to call it), and they were pleasantly surprised for the second day in a row (it had started last night). The entire thing was set up as a tribute to Power Ranger history, with each and every single team getting their own wing at the convention center, and across the street at Angel Grove Park, there was all sorts of stuff there that celebrated the Power Rangers. And hanging in the background of it all was the massive stage erected that would serve as the place that the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers would emerge one last time and give a speech to all their loyal fans.

That was for tomorrow; tonight was all about having fun. Jason continued to watch as everyone smiled, laughed, told war stories…it was a nice thing to see. Andros had quite a few of the younger Rangers huddled around him as he regaled them with the story of how he saved the universe by regretfully shattering Zordon's energy tube. TJ, Wes, Eric and Carter were playing poker with each other; Trini and Katherine were talking to a bunch of the younger girls, probably giving out shopping tips. Everywhere Jason looked, good times were all around. He was glad he had thought of having this big party yesterday; he thoroughly enjoyed watching everyone have a great time.

A few seconds later, his thoughts were disrupted when he heard his doorbell ring. Standing up and exiting his room, walking down the steps, he opened his front door and saw five people wearing different colored uniforms, standing there in awe as the door swung open. Jason raised an eyebrow at the five kids, wondering if they were lost or were new neighbors of his. He quickly realized they were neither.

"Oh my god…it's really him!", the one in red exclaimed loudly, looking like he was ready to be restrained.

"Dude, will you calm down? You're making us look bad!", the young girl in yellow said, slapping the boy in red on the back.

"But we're standing in the presence of a god!", he practically screamed while Jason stood back and watched this all unfold with an amused look.

"Dude, listen to yourself…you sound like a five year old", the boy in blue said rather sarcastically, rolling his eyes, while the one in white stepped forward and calmed them down without ever saying a word. The young man in violet moved ahead and introduced himself.

"Hello there, Mr. Scott. My name is Robert James, but everyone calls me R.J. I'm the Violet Wolf Ranger, and I'm the master of the Jungle Fury Rangers. This", he said, turning slightly to motion to the boy in red, "is Casey Rhodes, the Red Tiger Ranger, and one of your biggest fans."

"It is an absolute honor to meet you, Mr. Scott", the boy said excitedly, stepping forward and extending his hand. Jason cracked a smile as he shook Casey's hand.

"This is Theo Martin, the Blue Jaguar Ranger", R.J. continued, the boy in blue waving and smiling politely. "This is Lily Chilman, the Yellow Cheetah Ranger", he said, the young girl shaking Jason's hand and silently thanking him for being so kind towards them. "And finally, we have Dom Hargan, the White Rhino Ranger."

Jason looked at the kids up and down before shaking his head. "Forgive me if I sound rude here, but how did you all find out about this get together?"

R.J. looked back at his Rangers, who were staring at their feet. He cleared his throat, but none of them looked up to meet his eyes. He sighed before facing Jason again, giving his explanation.

"I received a message the other day at the pizzeria I own, Jungle Karma Pizza. It was from someone who only referred to himself as Dr. O, and he said that he knew a thing or two about Power Rangers, and thus, he invited us here to meet the other teams."

Jason shook his head again in disbelief, chuckling and muttering something to himself under his breath. "Dr. O, huh? Let me ask you all something…have any of you heard of Tommy Oliver?"

Never before did Jason see five faces go so quickly from intrigue to wide eyed shock. They quietly spoke to each other in hushed tones, so that Jason wouldn't hear them. "I thought so. I'm sure you've all heard the stories about him. He's the one that sent you the message to come here. So come on in, introduce yourselves, and have a good time."

The Jungle Fury Rangers, still in a state of disbelief, slowly shuffled past Jason and into his house. Their disbelief was soon turned into admiration and googly eyes as they stared at the memorabilia on the walls. Jason watched on as the newest group of Rangers walked through the house, finally getting to the outside, where they were met by a throng of other Rangers.

Right as Jason was about to walk out back, he saw Tommy coming up from the basement out of the corner of his eye, and promptly turned around to face him. "So, you decided to invite the newest team of Power Rangers without telling me, huh?"

"I didn't think it'd be that much of a problem, bro…why, did they do something?"

"No, they haven't done anything yet. But it would have been nice of you to tell me ahead of time instead of opening my door to a group of soapy faced rookies who don't know what they got themselves into, bro."

Tommy rolled his eyes and shook his head for a moment, giving Jason a look that said, 'Not this talk again', before placing his hand on Jason's shoulder and leading him back into the living room. They stopped and stared at each other before Tommy spoke first.

"Did we know what we were getting ourselves into when we became Rangers?"

"This isn't about us, bro", Jason replied sternly, arms crossed, steely glare on his face.

"Did you know what you were doing when you became the first Red Ranger?"

"No, I didn't. But I adjusted quickly, and look what happened. Did you know what you were doing when you became a Ranger?"

"I was under an evil spell at first. I didn't even want to be one."

"But you became one when the spell was broken. You became the best ever, Tommy."

"Don't start that shit with me. The real issue here is, yes, I invited them. Maybe they don't fully know what they've gotten themselves into yet, but they're willing to learn and they're another group in a long line of heroes. Not everybody gets to be a Power Ranger, Jase. The five of them, they were chosen for a reason. I see a lot of every single team in them. And they're just kids who are looking to meet those who preceded them, and they wanna have a good time."

Jason gave Tommy a look of mild irritation. There were already thirteen teams worth of Rangers here at his house, and he was already catching crap from his neighbors because of the massive amount partying and the excessive noise. Adding a bunch of kids to that wouldn't help matters.

But Jason looked over Tommy and saw the Jungle Furies mixing in with the crowd, and sighed. He realized he was being stern and gruff again, but he had to be sometimes; he was the first friggin' Red Ranger. People were intimidated by him and his legend.

But he was also smart and wise enough to realize that he needed to let his hair down, so to speak, and stop acting so intimidating towards the newer teams. There was a line between being universally respected and universally feared. He felt he did a good job toeing both lines, but in the end, the respect won out over being feared. So all he did was shake his head and sigh.

"There any other surprises that I should know about?"

"You gonna get mad and take your Blade Blaster to my head if I show my kids around your basement?"

Jason rolled his eyes as he folded his arms across his chest. He didn't really like anyone downstairs in his basement; it was where he kept all the memorabilia from his Ranger days, along with his own little gym. But this was Tommy and his Dino Rangers, so what could possibly go wrong?

"Mr. Scott, is it alright if I touch your replica Power Sword?"

He spoke too soon.

Trailing Tommy and his Dino Rangers down the steps into his basement, he kept a careful eye on Conner McKnight, the Red Ranger of the group, who also happened to be the clumsiest and most thick-headed. As they reached the bottom step, Jason watched as the Conner, Kira, Trent and Ethan all walked around while Tommy wandered off into the corner and started looking through some old newspaper clippings.

"Why are you looking at that old stuff, bro?"

"To remind myself why I'm doing this all over again tomorrow night", Tommy responded curtly. "I mean…it's been a while."

Jason's brows shot up, and he couldn't help the small grin that quickly spread across his lips. "Don't tell me…you're nervous about this, aren't you?"

Tommy quickly shot Jason a death glare, one that the former Gold Ranger easily looked past. "The immortal Tommy Oliver, the greatest Power Ranger of all time…nervous to morph one last time? Say it ain't so!"

"Shut up, Jase. It's been four years since I gave it up again, that time for good. I've lived a somewhat normal life for four years, man!"

"And by somewhat normal, do you mean 'somewhat normal', or do you mean you've kept tabs on every single team of Rangers, past and present while pretending to live a 'somewhat normal' life?", Jason answered sarcastically. Tommy looked up briefly from the clippings and rolled his eyes, before diverting his eyes back to them.

"Bro, you shouldn't be so nervous. It's a one time thing. All you're doing is morphing and saying farewell, basically. Yeah…that's basically what this whole thing is for you six…a farewell party."

"It's a lot more than that, bro", Tommy said, his eyes not leaving a particular article about the Green Ranger and the destruction he had caused. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, what's up?", Jason murmured as he too began to flip through the old clippings.

"Is it wrong and or weird that I'd rather morph into him again?", he asked, pointing to a rare photograph of the Green Ranger standing on top of the Dragonzord, the Dragon Dagger in hand.

Jason stared at the photo for a moment, taking in the memories that flooded his head. They had a lot of good times when Tommy was green. Granted, there was also the small part where he tried killing them all, but other than that episode, there was no reason for Tommy to ever feel ashamed of what he did when he was the Green Ranger.

But of course, that's how everyone but Tommy felt about it. Even after all these years, Jason knew that his best friend couldn't let what he did go, couldn't forgive himself for his actions, actions he had no control over. No matter what good he did later on in his life as a Ranger, Tommy still could never live it down.

"Now don't take this the wrong way bro…but why the hell would you want to morph into the Green Ranger one more time?", Jason asked matter-of-factly. Tommy still didn't look up as he heard Jason's response, but he closed his eyes and clenched his fist. He hated talking about his time in green, and desperately wished he could forget it all, but he brought it up, so he had to deal with it.

"You know why, Jase. Don't make me answer that question."

"Tommy, you're the one that brought up the Green Ranger in the first place. I see the look in your eyes bro, and if you think for one second you're gonna bring that up and then try to avoid every question, you're nuts. So let me ask you again…why do you want to morph into the Green Ranger one more time?"

"To apologize to everyone who suffered through or heard of my acts of horror when I was wearing that costume…and to forgive myself."

"Even after all these years…you still can't forgive yourself, can you?"

Tommy looked away from the clippings and turned to face the wall. Jason noticed his fists clenching, and subtly prepared himself should Tommy have a bit of an outburst. But he saw his best friends' shoulders slump. By now, the Dino Rangers had left and were back outside, leaving the two men alone.

"I can never forgive myself for what I did when I wore that awful suit…never. I still feel dirty…"

"Bro, that was fifteen years ago…we were kids. You were under Rita's control; you couldn't help what you did. We're men now, though. Billy, Trini, Zack…they've all moved on from it. I'll admit, it took me a while to get over it, but I did. Kim…she's moved on too. It's all on you, man."

Jason walked over to Tommy and placed a hand on his shoulder. He led him over to some chairs nearby and they sat down, Tommy's head in his hands while Jason turned around and began rummaging for something.

"You also gotta remember bro", Jason said as he continued searching for whatever it was he was searching for, "You did a lot of good when you were the Green Ranger. Saved our asses more times than I can remember. So don't try and say you didn't do any good as the Green Ranger, because you know you did. Ah ha!"

Jason's arms swung back over, and right as Tommy looked up, he saw two shot glasses and two rather large bottles of Jack Daniels and Jameson. Immediately, he knew where this was going.

"Bro, don't you think we should go back outside? Everyone's probably wondering where we are."

"They'll be fine…and besides, when was the last time we did anything like this?"

Jason began to open the bottles while Tommy had an anxious look on his face, Jason pouring two shots of Jack into the glasses. He passed his best friend a glass and held his own up in the air in a toast.

"Come on, Tommy. You gotta stop worrying about what you did in the past and embrace the present, which is tomorrow…and right now."

Reluctantly, Tommy picked up his shot glass and toasted his best friend, and the two proceeded to down them with ease.

"You remember that time when I visited you in Switzerland and we ended up wrecking Trini's room?", Tommy slurred, a huge smile on his lips as he swayed back and forth in his chair. Jason cocked his head back and let out a monstrous roar of laughter as they both knocked back shots of Jack.

"Dude she was soooo angry at us for that…I dunno how we survived her rage", Jason murmured as he slumped down in his chair. His smile was quickly gone though, when he saw the look of sadness on Tommy's face. "What's the matter bro? Why so sad all of a sudden?"

"I just…I just miss her man…", he said, his head now down in his hands. And though he clearly wasn't sober, Jason knew who Tommy was talking about. "I wish I had chased after her when I got that goddamn piece of paper…"

"It's alright, bro…you'll get her back. Just talk…talk to her tomorrow before you do your thing and morph again…she'll listen…"

"I never stopped loving her, Jase…I know it looked like I got over her, but I never did…she was my world…"

Jason patted his best friend on the shoulder while Tommy kept his head in his hands, still thinking about the past.

"She still loves you too, bro…she really does…"

Lost in all of this was the fact that the two men were being watched from the top of the steps. The woman smiled as a tear trickled down her cheek. Wiping it away with the back of her hand, she quietly turned around and walked back upstairs, where the party was still going on. Fixing her hair, Kimberly smiled as she whispered to herself.

"I never stopped loving you too, Tommy…"


End file.
